TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Shortly after three new city commissioners are sworn in Tuesday night, city leaders will be asked to consider if they will move forward with the city’s proposed Terrain Modification Program.

The new city commissioners include Tammy Vasquez, Chris Clark, and Arthur Czyszczon. Mayor John Doctor won re-election.

What You Need To Know

  • Terrain Modification Program is a long-term plan put together by the city to address sea level rise

  • It allows for voluntary use of fill for homes and businesses 

  • To date, Treasure Island has a no-fill policy 

  • MORE: Treasure Island's Terrain Modification Program 

According to city staff, the Terrain Modification Program is a long-term plan that addresses sea level rise by allowing the use of fill on a voluntary basis. Fill can be either soil, sand or rock that adds land.

The plan allows home and business owners to use fill to elevate the ground beneath and around a structure. It also outlines a series of criteria aimed at reducing the effects on properties and infrastructure adjacent to those where fill is being used.

Currently, the use of fill is not permitted in Treasure Island.

City officials say the goal of the plan is once private properties have been elevated, city roads can undergo terrain modification.

“If we don't begin to mitigate for these impacts now, it will become much more difficult and expensive to do so in the future. As a low-lying barrier island where periodic high tide elevations already impact use of the roadways and the effectiveness of the stormwater collection system. If we implement the program and remove the City's past no-fill policies, our roadways could elevate as tidal elevations continue to increase,” the city’s website states. “This future scenario will have roadways becoming largely impassable on an almost daily basis and quality of life on the island will fundamentally change.”

Last year, a plan dubbed “Elevate TI” went through rounds of city commission meetings before it was axed by commissioners in late August. That plan made it mandatory that fill dirt be used.

This new generation of a plan makes it voluntary as well as a few other changes, including that owners can chose the height, both structural ad nonstructural fill would be allowed, and the program will be evaluated every two years.

Chris Clark, who will be sworn is as District 2 commissioners Tuesday night, says he hopes the Terrain Modification Program discussion is postponed so the new commissioners have a chance to review over 500 pages in documents associated with the plan.

“There’s things I’ve seen in there that concern me like the effects it’s going to have on business, the costs it’s going to have on business. We can’t afford that,” he said. “I am 1000% for fill, I think most of the commission is, but I’m not for doing it this way. There’s just too much. It is not common sense and it’s just overkill.”

Clark says his top priorities as commissioner are permitting, so the community can continue to rebuild, and also business growth in the city.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Treasure Island City Hall and is open to the public.